In current times, the need for the recycling of materials has been recognized because of the cost of energy in processing virgin materials, the need for ecological conservation, and for other reasons. One material which lends itself particularly well to recycling is aluminum. Substantial cost savings can be realized in the use of recycled aluminum as compared to the cost of mining and smelting virgin aluminum. One of the major uses of aluminum is in beverage cans. Current estimates are that about 40 to 50 billion aluminum cans are produced, used, and discarded annually in the United States. The majority of these cans are not recycled, but end up in landfills. Some of the hindrances to more widespread recycling of aluminum cans is the relative inconvenience of saving cans and the relative scarcity of can recycling centers. Those who would be willing to recycle cans are sometimes discouraged by the need to accumulate and store a sufficient number of cans to justify a trip to a can return center.
Points of purchase of canned beverages, such as groceries, convenience stores, liquor stores and the like, would be ideal return centers because of their widespread and dispersed locations in communities and neighborhoods. However, proprietors of these establishments are often reluctant to take on the added burden of accepting cans for recycling because of the space required for storage and the time and labor involved in receiving, counting, checking, and weighing the received cans.